Palmator 2014

Every year, on Palm Sunday, the Prösslbräu Brewery in Adlersberg has a one-day festival called Palmator, a celebration of their dark, strong bock beer of the same name.  On this day each year, the Palmator is first served from the brewery’s kegs.  On an unrelated note, any time I put anything about this brewery into Google Translate, I have to giggle.  Adlersberg is the name of the place where the brewery stands, but it literally translates to Eagle Mountain.  This amuses me greatly.

The first year I was here, I attended Palmator and was blown away by how strong the stuff is- and how delicious.  Last year I skipped it because we weren’t done with our seven months of winter and the temperatures were below freezing.  This year, the weather was perfect.   I went with some friends, and we walked up the hill.  It’s possible to get there without walking up this hill, but where’s the fun in that?

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We had pretty spectacularly nice weather.  This is the view from the top of that same hill.

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They changed the layout since the first year I went to Palmator.  There was much more tent coverage before, whereas now they’ve done away with the tent and left more beer garden style seating out in the open.  This is much nicer, actually, particularly if the weather is rocking like this.

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This is the beer in question-  the Palmator.  It is absolutely delicious, and extremely deadly.  This glass is a Maß, or one full liter of the stuff.  By the end of the glass, I was quite buzzed.  The giant pretzel was soft and fresh and delicious.

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When the tables got full, blankets became the next best way to enjoy the day.  Our group brought blankets because my friends are smart like that.

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Another popular thing is to sit on the wall.  At certain points, the wall is well above my head, but people still clamber up onto it to sit and enjoy their Palmator in the sun.

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Have you ever been to Palmator?  Have you been to any Starkbierfest?

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Did Someone Say Lederhosen?

If you say “Germany” to most Americans and then ask them to list everything they know about the culture, you’ll probably get a response that starts with two words: Lederhosen and Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is just one of many, many festivals here.   I posted a gallery back at the beginning of April from a smaller festival when Palmator was tapped for the first time, back on Palm Sunday.  There’s one coming up here in Regensburg called Dult.  Mai Dult, in this case, because it’s in May.  There’s another Dult in September.  This has all the trappings of an Oktoberfest, though, including rides, crowds, tents with live music, people in traditional outfits, and, of course, beer.

As for the traditional clothing, there are many different types of tracht. While the word tracht translates to costume, this isn’t just a costume for those who wear it, it’s a part of their cultural heritage and tradition. However, tracht is not traditional for all of Germany- it’s regional.  It is mostly found in Austria and here in Bavaria.  Tracht is often worn for festivals, but it’s not at all uncommon to see it worn here for bachelor and bachelorette parties and other festive occasions.

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Palmator: Das Starkbierfest Am Adlersberg

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Palmator: Das Starkbierfest Am Adlersberg, a set on SmugMug.  There are more pictures in the set, so click on through!

On the way to breakfast this morning, there were a lot of people wearing lederhosen and dirndls, the traditional Bavarian outfits that Americans always picture when they think of Germany.

The reason for this belongs to the Prösslbräu Brewery in Adlersberg

Palm Sunday is the first day of the year that they serve Palmator, a dark and strong bock beer from their kegs. A lot of people turn out for the beer, the band, and the traditional Bavarian outfits.

I managed to find my way out there, sharing a taxi with some friendly guys who were also going after the number twelve bus was far, far too packed to be useful. The beer is served in one liter glasses- this is a much larger volume of beer than I’m used to, and those glasses were heavy!

Also of note- one of these pictures shows what was being used as a men’s room- the Germans have turned public urination into an art form.

The brewery sits on top of a pretty good sized hill, so there’s a fantastic view from the top of the wall, looking all the way back to the city.